1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to a technology for job management.
2. Description of the Related Art
A network print system has been widely used in which a plurality of devices each having a printer function (hereinafter, “printing apparatus”) are connected together via a network, such as a large-area network (LAN) and a print output operation of a client device connected to the same network is efficiently performed by using each printing apparatus. Also, with a print server (device), a more efficient network print system can be configured. Various types of such systems have already been proposed.
In a network print system, many printing apparatuses differed in printing scheme and printing performance (including image-printing function) and those further including additional functions are used. For example, in a system configuration of a multifunction product (MFP) or a digital MFP, multifunctionalization has advanced, allowing, in addition to the conventionally-existing printer interface (I/F) and facsimile function, a local storage (LS) function based on a large-capacity memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), incorporated as standard and a data transfer function with a host personal computer (PC) via a network, thereby providing many applications for use in a network print system. The MFP of this type is explained below as an example.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-149242, among various devices having a printer function, in particular, machines such as printers, facsimile machines, and copiers, some have incorporated therein a Web access mechanism, thereby having an enhanced user interface function using Web technology. Since such a user interface function using Web technology is achieved by using a processor, a memory, an input/output circuit, etc. that already exist in the device, there is an advantage of not requiring additional cost and space required for a Web print server function. Therefore, many machines such as printers, facsimile machines, and copiers have a function of providing information stored therein or an external auxiliary device to users as a Web page targeted for a general Web browser.
The Web page is described normally in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML has described therein not only information itself but also layout information, such as a character size and centering, and its format may vary depending on the device providing the Web page. In companies, for example, there is a strong desire from administrators that many introduced business machines, such as printers, facsimile machines, and copiers, be collectively managed by using dedicated management software. Some devices include a function of providing information stored therein or an external device to the outside by using a technology, such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) or extensible Markup Language (XML)/Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). A technology using SOAP as a way of providing a device management function is also called a Web service, which has been used not only in the business machines but also for various purposes.
Generally, in the Web service, a device provides a service to another device. The unit of service is thus small, and a wide variety of services are provided. Therefore, a Web service provider can develop software causing various processes to be achieved depending on a combination of services for use. On the other hand, Web service interface specifications can be freely defined by a Web service provider, and therefore have incompatible formats depending on the type of the Web service providing device. For this reason, it is not an easy task to develop client software supporting different types of devices or client software using a Web service for different types of devices.
As a way of solving the problems above, specification of formats in XML format called Resource Description Framework (RDF) and RDF Site Summary (RSS) have been developed and widely published to people in general. These are mechanisms for describing information as metadata, allowing information to be easily used among different types of devices.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-131930 discloses a conventional technology related to a content conversion processing apparatus that actively selects a style sheet in an XML document and converts content, a style-sheet automatic selecting method, and a computer program associated therewith. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-312243 discloses a conventional technology related to creation of contents according to an output device.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-054732 discloses a conventional technology for allowing, for example, the state of communication history of a plurality of MFPs to be quickly grasped by a computer by using mechanism of RSS field. In this conventional technology, a copier (image forming apparatus) serves as an RSS feeder to distribute apparatus information, such as communication history, to unspecified clients. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-209056 discloses a conventional technology for allowing inter-availability of information stored in external apparatuses as well as various network apparatuses, such as a printer, a facsimile machine, an MFP, a document-managing print server that can be connected to the network, such as LAN.
In general, in a network print system when a print job is received while a specific device is performing a print process, there is an inconvenience that the received job cannot be promptly executed as expected. To get around this inconvenience, in a conventional technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-275300, even when data to be printed is received while a print process is performed by any function, if an MFP (image forming apparatus) on a network is requested for a print job while performing printing, print data is transmitted to another MFP (image forming apparatus) on the network, thereby promptly printing received data without interrupting the print process currently being processed. In this conventional technology, a print-job transmitting side searches the network for a transmission partner. Therefore, each image forming apparatus has to recognize other printing apparatuses on the network. This poses a considerable load on designing and maintenance of the system.
As explained above, with the conventional technologies, the print server or printing apparatus side has to perform information registration and management of other image forming apparatuses or the like. Therefore, complex control and management are required, putting a load on the system. Also, many settings are necessary for changing the system, requiring efforts.